How to make Homemade Maple Smoked Bacon
September 7, 2023
Smoked & Braised Pork Shank
September 7, 2023Jared from BBQ and Bottles hits a grand slam with this recipe.
Pork chops have always been one of my favorite foods. When I was a child, my favorite dish was when my father seared pork chops and cooked French fries in the delicious fat and pork juices.
I never lost my love for pork chops so I have been experimenting with different methods of cooking them and have come to the conclusion that the secret to the best pork chops is brining.
During brining the pork absorbs some of the brining liquid. Later when you cook the pork, some of the water will inevitably start to come out of the meat but because there was extra water absorbed through brining.
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The pork will retain more liquid than it otherwise would have resulting in more flavorful, tender and juicy pork chops.
In order to maximize the juiciness and tenderness of my pork chops, I always do an overnight brine.
If you’re running short on time, it’s still worth it even if you’ll only have time for a 1-2 hour brine.
It’s a great way to make a very affordable and lean cut of meat into something that is consistently juicy and flavorful that both kids and adults will love.
Other Pork Chop Recipes
Get out your skillet for these juicy and tender Cast Iron Pork Chops with Beans for a Parmesan-coated, hearty meal you will love.
Brined Ribeye Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 5 – 6 ribeye pork chops
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 rosemary sprigs
The standard brine recipe as follows:
- 8 cups water
- 8 tbsp kosher salt
- 8 tbsp brown sugar (carmelized)
- 5 – 6 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
- 2 tbsp peppercorns
- 4 fresh rosemary sprigs (pull leaves off the stem)
Instructions
- Mix brine ingredients into a stock pot and bring water to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and let the brine rest until it hits room temperature. Add ice cubes to the mix if you want to accelerate the process.
- Place 5-6 pork chops into a large glass dish and pour the brine over the pork chops. Cover and place in the fridge for at least two hours but ideally overnight.
- Take the pork chops out of the brine, rinse under cold water, pat dry and place on a roasting rack. You don’t need to season the pork chops because the brining will have imparted flavors into the pork.
- Preheat your oven to 225ºF. Once at temperature, place the roasting rack with the pork chops on top in the oven. Let the chops cook using this indirect heat until the temperature is 120ºF. Bringing them up to temp this way will create a dry exterior to the chops that will increase the amount of browning & crust imparted onto the chops when seared in cast iron.
- Heat up a cast iron pan on medium heat. Once at temp, add oil, butter, whole garlic cloves and the rosemary sprigs. Then add the pork chops. Don’t overcrowd your cast iron pan so cook 2-3 pork chops at one time.
- Sear each side until a brown crust forms on the bottom side then flip the chops on the other side. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 sprigs of Thyme. With a spoon, baste the pork chop with the juices in the pan a few times cooking them for another 3-4 minutes.
- When the internal temperature is 135-145ºF, remove them from the heat and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving or slicing.
